Thursday 25 April 2013 16.30 EDT
First published on Thursday 25 April 2013 16.30 EDT

As Simon Crisford, Godolphin's spokesman, fielded questions about Mahmood al-Zarooni on Thursday, he found himself answering queries about another trainer banned for the use of anabolic steroids with whom Zarooni had a strong association. Before being hired as Godolphin's second trainer in Newmarket, Zarooni served as assistant in Dubai to Mubarak bin Shafya, who was banned from the separate sport of endurance racing in 2011 over the use of stanozolol, one of the steroids that Zarooni has admitted using.

Crisford played down the significance of Shafya in Zarooni's racing education, saying that the latter had served 10 years under another trainer, Ali al-Raihe, compared with just one under Shafya. He pointed out that Shafya's case came after Zarooni had been hired, adding of Shafya: "He didn't get banned from thoroughbred racing. I wouldn't have been aware of that."

Pressed as to whether Shafya's case raised any concerns for Godolphin over Zarooni, Crisford said: "What are you trying to imply? We didn't take it into consideration."

Shafya was banned for two years by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the governing body for Olympic equestrian events as well as endurance racing after Castlebar Kadeen, a horse he trained, tested positive for stanozolol at an event in Abu Dhabi in November 2010. That suspension expired three months ago, though Shafya has still been able to train racehorses during the ban.

Shafya's defence was that his vet had administered the steroid without his knowledge but the FEI held that he had taken inadequate steps to prevent such a thing happening. The FEI's tribunal also noted four previous cases in which Shafya's horses had tested positive for banned substances, which it described as "alarming" and indicative of "a minimum of bad stable management", even while accepting that he could not be held responsible because of a difference in their rules at the time.

Shafya is still best known in thoroughbred racing for his training feats at the Dubai Carnival of 2009, when he enjoyed a double-figure number of successes, crowned by two major victories for horses he trained on the night of the Dubai World Cup itself. Eastern Anthem scrambled home by a nose in the Dubai Sheema Classic, while Gladiatorus was rather more impressive in taking the Dubai Duty Free by three lengths, having made almost all the running.

Both prizes were worth more than £2m but neither horse was able to reproduce the form they showed that night. Both returned to Newmarket to be trained by Saeed bin Suroor, Godolphin's sole trainer in England at the time, but Eastern Anthem never won again, while Gladiatorus managed a single success in an Italian Group One from five subsequent starts. Neither horse has ever returned a positive test for any banned substance and nor has any Godolphin-owned racehorse to have passed through his hands.

Two months after Shafya's memorable double on World Cup night, it was reported by the Daily Mail that he would "shortly be arriving in Newmarket to train [endurance horses] for Sheikh Mohammed". The report said that Shafya would "take over part of Godolphin's Moulton Paddocks estate" for the purpose.

Zarooni was appointed to take over those same stables at Moulton Paddocks the following year, for purely thoroughbred racing purposes. It is not known whether Shafya was still in residence at the time.

Three years after Shafya's biggest night, Zarooni topped his achievements by landing the Dubai World Cup with Monterosso, who came home three lengths clear of a dozen rivals to land the £3.8m prize.

The horse plainly had problems thereafter, as he has run only twice since and been soundly beaten each time. Even so, he would count, at his peak, as among the best horses to have been trained by Zarooni during his brief career. Another would be Rewilding, who won the Sheema Classic in 2011 before outbattling So You Think in a thrilling Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot. The horse lost his life the following month when breaking a leg during Ascot's King George.

Blue Bunting gave Zarooni an early high by landing the 1,000 Guineas in 2011 at odds of 16-1, flying home under Frankie Dettori to beat Together by three parts of a length. Only fourth in the Oaks under a moderate ride, Blue Bunting proved her Classic success was no fluke by following up in the Irish Oaks and the Yorkshire Oaks, closing her career with sixth place in the St Leger.

Zarooni managed another Classic victory with Encke in last year's St Leger, this time at 25-1. The significance of that success was that it denied the runner-up, Camelot, the chance to be a rare Triple Crown winner, he having won the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby.

There is no suggestion that steroids played a part in the victories achieved by those horses.